UV-Light Exposure and Egg

Production of Female Copepods

An Experiment that Investigates on the Effect of UV-Light

on Female Copepads’ Egg Production
 Hypothesis
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This experiment hypothesized that UV-light has
negative impact on the number of eggs
produced by female copepods
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The researchers used an experimental group and a control
group placed separately into two wells
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For each group, there were sixteen section for each well for
sixteen observations
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A pair of male and female copepod was placed in every section
of the well
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The experimental group was exposed to UV-light
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The control group was not exposed to UV-light
Data
●
The data above shows the results of the experiments wherein
only two pairs of the experimental group yielded eggs after
being exposed to UV light out of the sixteen number of cells.
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Female copepods in the control group appears to be
productive in all cells with all of them yielding eggs
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Apparently, data above cannot infer that UV-light has negative
impact on the egg production of copepods because there are
only two females that can be evaluated
Data
 Analysis and Conclusion
●
Based on the findings of the research, it has been observed
that even under controlled conditions, the copepods did not
have seemingly similar productivity rate as the numbers are
significantly different for each section of the group
●
Another reason for this would be that our samples – the
copepods – were taken at different age/life and had different
concentrations of algae and phytoplankton, which served as
their food necessary during egg formation and laying
 Analysis and Conclusion
●
On surface value, it appears that the data confirms UV-light does not have negative impact
on the egg production of female copepods but this conclusion is only affirmed by the fact that
there are only two female copepods that laid eggs under the experimental group. There is not
enough number of female copepods that laid egg under this group that can be used to
assess whether UV-light has negative negative impact on the egg production of copepods or
not. Furthermore, it could also be that the quality of the seawater from which the copepods
were taken had contributed to the productivity level of female copepods. The quality of water,
in particular the concentration of algae and other primary foods for copepods, is critical to
egg production too. This means that to gain more accurate results, it is critical that the
copepods samples should be taken from the same location, age, and concentration of sea
water in order to establish similarity of conditions for all copepods to be used as samples.
Finally, another angle that the researchers are looking at is perhaps UV-light does not have
impact on the number of eggs being produced but on the rate of production of copepods.